Trump says 'more white people' killed downplaying police violence against Black people

President Donald Trump yesterday praised U.S. police departments and downplayed police violence against Black people, saying “more white people” are killed by police officers.

During a CBS News interview, the Republican president was asked why Black people were still dying at the hands of law enforcement.

“And so are white people, so are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people. More white people, by the way. More white people,” Trump responded.

The May 25 brutal murder of African American George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis sparked protests across the United States and all over the world, leading to an increased focus on police violence against Black people.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Image credit AP/PTI

According to a Washington Post analysis recently updated on Monday, half of people killed by police are white, but Black Americans are shot at a disproportionate rate. They account for less than 13% of the U.S. population but are killed by police at over twice the rate of white Americans, the newspaper analysis found.

However, some Americans argue that the Black Lives Matter movements and protests have unfairly maligned the police forces.

Trump, releasing declarations to reporters at the White House, defended police departments, saying they “do an incredible job in this country.”

“You can have a rogue, terrible cop, on occasion like you do in any industry, any business, in any profession,” Trump explained.

The American Civil Liberties Union’s Jeffery Robinson responded to Trump's statements that the President’s comments were racist.

“Trump’s racism is so absolute that he continues to refuse to give even a tacit acknowledgment to the epidemic of police violence against Black people in America,” he denounced.

A Black Lives Matter protester salutes passing traffic while supporters of President Donald Trump rally in the background. Image credit AP

Moreover, the recent social unrest that is sweeping across many American cities has raised new questions about the flying of the Confederate battle flag in areas of the country and whether statues honouring Confederate leaders during the U.S. Civil War should be removed from prominent places or not.

This topic was one of the inquiries asked. Specifically, the CBS enquired the President whether or not the flag should be “taken down”. And Trump responded: “I know people that like the Confederate flag and they’re not thinking about slavery.”

He added: “It’s freedom of speech.”